By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

A city councilor from Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental was gunned down yesterday morning by riding-in-tandem suspects at Sitio Lo-ok in Barangay Poblacion of the said city.

Police identified the fatality as Councilor Paulo Edison Dela Rita, a resident of the said area.

Based on initial information provided by Guihulngan City police, Dela Rita was headed home on his motorcycle after checking on his businesses, when he was shot by two unidentified gunmen aboard a motorcycle.

Dela Rita died on the spot after sustaining a gunshot wound in the head.

Investigators recovered nine empty, four live, and four deformed slugs from a .45 caliber firearm.

Police speculated the incident was connected to the death of Dela Rita’s bodyguard, Ramon Perez, who was also gunned down last week.

City police have yet to confirm if the suspects were members of the New People’s Army (NPA); however, Dela Rita was believed to be on the rebel group’s hitlist.

Last year, Dela Rita and another one of his bodyguard survived an ambushed by NPA rebels at Sitio Mandi-e in Barangay Magsaysay, also in the said city.

The police who rushed to the area responding to Dela Rita’s call for help were also ambushed a few hours later by around 50 NPA members, claiming the lives of then-Guihulngan City police chief, Police Superintendent Arnel Arpon, and his officers, namely, Senior Police Officer 2 (SPO2) Mecasio Tabilon, SPO2 Chavic Agosto, SPO1 Jeseal Ancheta, Police Officer 2 (PO2) Alfredo Dunque, and PO2 Alvin Paul Bulandres./DGB, WDJ